Sunken-ship indicator.



' H. WESTIN.

SUNKEN SHIP INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. l9l6.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917'.

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HENRY WEST-IN, or SMITHVILLE, MINNESOTA.

SUNKEN-SHIP inDIcAToR.

Application filed April 14,

To all 10 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, Hnnnxllhasrm, a 1

top of" the chamber 8. The block 13 is pro vided with connectors 1 1, and to which are,

citizen of the United States, residing at Smithville, in the county of St. Louis, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sunken-Ship Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of 'the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention is directed to im provements in devices for locating sunken ships, and has for its object to provide a device of this character constructed in such a manner that should the ship sink the location will be designated by a buoy, which rises to the surface as the ship sinks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character constructed in such a manner that the buoy will be illuminated so that the location of sinking can be readily ascertained at night.

With these and other objects in view, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formation, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which 2-.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a ship showing the same equipped with the device. Fig.2 is a longitudinal sec-- tional viewthrough the drum casing and circuit closure chamber. Fig. 3 is a sec tional view 011 line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a similar view on line 44: of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing 1 indicates a casing which is secured in any suitablemanner to the deck of the ship, said casing-having one of its end Walls provided with a socket 2, and the other with a bearing 3, which are engaged by the trunnions 4L and 5, respectively, of the drum 6. -Thebearing' 3 is provided'with a' stuffing box 7*and through which extends the trunnion 5, the outer end of which is located in the chamber 8, which is rendered water tight by the presence of the stuffing box 7 The chamber 8 is provided with a closure 9, which is read ily removable when it is desired to obtain access to the interior thereof. Fixed to the extended end of the trunnion 5 are metal disks 10, which are spaced by fiber disks 11,

said metal disks being engaged by the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 9, 1917.

1916. Serial No. 91,174.

sulator block 13, the same being fixed to the attached the wires 15, which lead from any well known form of storage battery (not shown). Wound upon the drum 6 is an electric cable 16, one end of which is passed through the bore 17 of the trunnion 5, and has its terminals connected to the metal disks 10, so that the circuit from the batteries through'the cable will be completed. Mounted on the casing 1. is a bracket 18, the upper end of which is provided with a cage like seat 19 for normally supporting. the circular buoy or float 20, and through which extends the cable 16, the casing 1 having its top provided with a slot 21 to permit the cable to wind upon the drum 6. Mounted upon the. top of the buoy or float 20 is a lamp box 22, the same being provided with lens 23, which are colored red. Mounted in the lamp box 22 isan incandescent lamp 241, which is connected to the cable 16, and since the brushes 12 are engaged with the disks 10, it. is obvious that the circuit will be closed from the battery to the lamp 24 through the cable 16. Fixed toonewall of the chamber '8 is an insulator block 25,

which supports the switch points 26, and to which are connected the battery wires 15.

i a coil spring 31,-which is adapted to bear against the bar 28. Also pivotally connected to the block25 is an arm 32, havinga lug 33 carried thereby which is adapted to engage the'cross bar 34:, carried by the switch arms 27 thus holding the same out of engagement with the lowermost switch points 26, thereby leavingthe circuit open, and as cle. rly shown in Fig. 4; of the drawing. A

pin 35 is carried by the outermost disk 10,

and'is adapted to movethe arm 32 downwardly, whereupon the switch arms will be permitted to swing inwardly, under the action of the coil spring 31, thusclosing the circuit immediately after the drum 6 begins to unwind, which action will rotate the disk so that the pin carried thereby will engage I the arm 32. Thus it will be seen that the sociated with the casing, a drum rotatably mounted in thecasing and having one of its trunnlons extended into the chamber, a bracket mounted upon the top of the casing,

I a float normally supported by" the bracket, a lamp carried by the float, ane'lectric cable windable upon thedrum and in circuit With the lamp, a circuit closure mounted 1n the chamber and rotatable with the drum trunable by the drum to close the circuit, and

means for conducting a source of electrical energy to the circuit closure and electric cable. I

2. In combination with a ship, a casing mounted thereon, a drum mounted in the casing, a float mounted on the casing, an electric cable windable on the drum and connected to the float, a chamber associated with the casing, said drum having a trunnion projected into the chamber, battery circuit wires being extended into the chamber, a switch arranged in the circuit Wires, means for closing the circuit between the electric cable and battery wires, and means for closing-the switch upon rotation of the drum.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of tWo witnesses.

HENRY VVESTIN.

MARGARET A. PIERCE.

Copies of th ispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

